The present invention relates generally to mattresses, and more particularly to a mattress constructed to inhibit the formation of body impressions.
As known to those of skill in the art, body impressions are permanent deflections in the sleep surface of a mattress that occur over time due to repeated loading and unloading of the sleep surface. Loading and unloading usually occur when a person mounts a mattress to sleep and then dismounts the mattress when he or she awakes. Formation of body impressions is a significant problem in the mattress industry because consumers often return mattresses with body impressions and expect a refund or replacement under a warranty.
Conventional mattresses typically consist of an inner spring unit in the core of the mattress, a layer of padding around the inner spring unit, and a layer of fabric or upholstery around the outside of the mattress to hold everything together. Often, the inner spring unit may be made of a spring system containing many individual coil springs tied together by metal wire or some other attachment means. In other cases, the inner spring unit may be formed of many individual pocketed coil springs attached together to form a spring system. Foam, ticking, polyester, natural fibers like cotton, a combination of any of these materials, or other suitable materials typically make up the padding around the inner spring unit. A third less common type of mattress utilizes a foam core instead of a spring unit.
The construction of conventional mattresses may lead to the formation of body impressions. A body impression is a permanent defection in the mattress in the shape of the user's body. This permanent deflection creates a non-uniform surface which is unsupportive, uneven, bumpy, misshapen, and uncomfortable for the sleeper.
Commonly, it is a breakdown in the padding around the spring system that causes the formation of body impressions, not a breakdown of the spring system itself. A mattress with a foam core and no spring system is even more susceptible to the formation of body impressions because it lacks a resilient spring unit.
Because body impressions are costly to the mattress industry and leave sleepers with a poor sleep surface, there is a need in the art for additional novel mattress constructions.